Rail-chair.



Nrrnn rarns Patented November 29, 1904:.

ATENT FHCE,

FRANK M. ANNIS, OF CONNEAUT, OHIO, ASSIGNOR OF 'lllREE-EIGHTHS TO MELVINL. DEV ORE AND EZRA F. ANNIS, OF CONNEAUT, OHIO, AND BRADLEY ANNIS, OFFREDONIA, NEW YORK.

RAIL-CHAIR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 776,287, dated November29, 1904. Application filed July 23, 1904. Serial No. 217,836. (Nomodel.)

To all 1077,0777, 7125 vim/y concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANK M. ANNIs, a citizen of the United States,residing at Oonneaut, in the county of Ashtabula and State of Ohio, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Rail-Chairs, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to rail-chairs, and has for its object simple andefiicient means for joining and supporting the meeting ends of tworail-sections to prevent spreading thereof.

Improved details in construction and arrangements of the several partsof the invention will be apparent from the detailed descriptionhereinafter when read in connection with the appended claims, referencebeing had to the drawings hereto annexed, in which 1 Figure 1 is aperspective View of the rails and the chair. Fig. 2 is a centrallongitudinal section. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the chair. Fig. 4 is aside elevation of the bolt used for fastening the chair to the rails.

Referring specifically to the drawings, 5 denotes the rail-sections, and6 the chair. The latter is in two parts and extends under the base ofthe rail to support the same, where a series of knuckles 7 are formed,which are made to register and form a hinge by passing a long bolt orpin 8 through the registering knuckles, as plainly shown in Fig. 3. Thebolt is secured by a nut 9 or in any other suitable manner. The chairsections extend around and over the base of the rail, as at 10, andunder the head, as at 11. They are also shaped to grip the web of therail in two or more places, preferably as at 12 and 13, being the topand bottom thereof, respectively. The chair is spiked to the tie in theusual manner, it being provided with recesses 14 to receive thespike-head, the said recesses being staggered, as shown in Fig. 2. Toassist in holding the chair against lateral displacement, grooves 15 areformed in both sections of the chair, on the under side thereof, whichare filled with the road-bed when the chair is in place.

The seat of the chair is swelled slightly in the middle, as indicated at16 in Fig. 2, and

against the chair.

that portion which grips the web of the rail is also made slightlyfuller in the middle, as indicated at 17 in Fig. 3, these parts being atthe meeting ends of the railsections. Pressure on the rails tends toincrease the grip of the chair by reason of the hinged construction, andsaid grip will be greatest at the meeting ends of the rail-sections,where it is most needed, because of the shape of the chair at thispoint, as above described.

At r18 are indicated bolts which extend through the chair and rails forfastening the same together. The bolts are headed and have enlarged ends19 to strengthen them. They are not threaded, but are fastened by keys20, which extend through a transverse slot 21 in the bolt. The lowerends of the keys extend into slots 22 made in the chair on one sidethereof. The keys are wedgeshaped, and referring to Fig. 1 it will benoted that the edge of one of the keys is shaped so as to abut againstthe chair, as at 23, thus jamming it against the rail, whereby the partsare securely bound together. Both bolts can be fastened in the samemanner; but in Fig. 1 I have shown the modified fastening means. Thiscomprises a sleeve 2 1, which is slipped over the enlarged end of thebolt and abuts The sleeve has a transverse slot 25, which registers withthe slot in the bolt, the key extending through both slots. When the keyis driven down,'it jams the sleeve up against the chair and securelybinds the parts. The keys are also provided with a weighted head 26,which assists in holding them in position.

The parts above described form a safe and strong rail-joint, and theyarealso simple and can be readily assembled.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A rail-chair comprising two parts which are hinged under the base ofthe rail; bolts extending through the rails and chair; and keysextending transversely through the bolts and into the chair.

2. A rail-chair comprising two parts which are hinged under the base ofthe rail; bolts extending through the rails and chair; a wedge shapedkey extending transversely through the bolts and into the chair, andjamming the latter against the rails.

3. A rail-chair comprising two parts which are hinged under the base ofthe rail; bolts extending through the rails and chair; a sleeve over theend of the bolts; a wedge-shaped key extending transversely through thesleeve and bolt and into the chair; and jamming the sleeve against thechair.

4. A rail-chair comprising two parts which are hinged under the base ofthe rails and extend therefrom to grip the rails, the seat of the chairbeing highest under the meeting 15 ends of the rails and the portionsWhich grip the rails being fuller at the same point.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRANK M ANNIS.

Witnesses:

M. L. DEvoRE, MATT G. SPAULDING.

